The Storm
by sunmariner
Summary: A bit about Alec and the X-5 seizure disorder they forgot about in 2nd season


The Storm  
  
I awoke with a headache, the first I can ever remember having. The pain didn't get any better as I made my way to work and checked in with Normal for my first run. My hands shook as I worked the combination to my locker and I began to feel dizzy. Had I finally come down with one of those dreaded 'outside' diseases that Manticore spent so much time harping on?  
  
"You ready?" Sketchy asked from beside me, startling me out of what wits I had left.  
  
"What?" I said shaking my head in hopes of clearing some of the fog. A new pain lanced through my head and I gripped the sides of the locker to keep standing.  
  
"Hey, you okay?" He put his hand on my shoulder and leaned closer to me.  
  
That pungent Sketchy odor, which usually didn't bother me all that much, filled my nose and my stomach churned. "Oh yeah, just fine," I mumbled pushing him away from me. "You know, I forgot something at home. Gotta go." I stumbled away from him and headed towards the door, Normal's indignant complaint a faint echo in the distance.  
  
I didn't get far. I lurched into in alley just in time to lose my breakfast beside a group of trash bins. I couldn't stand any longer and collapsed in a huddle leaning against a building, shaking uncontrollably. What was going on? How could this be happening to me, an X-5? A totally kick-ass, superior, genetically enhanced creation. But that was it, and I knew it. The 'genetically enhanced creation' was the trick. Someone had screwed up somewhere in our making. I remembered hearing about some of the other kids having seizures at Manticore but the training officers never acknowledged any problems. The rumors all but stopped by the time we were adults, the doctors must have figured out some way to fix the short circuit. But if they'd fixed us why was I here in this damp smelly alley a victim of my own body. I remembered pills, daily supplements, injections...maybe one of these had been the patch. We were never told what any of them were, we were ordered to take them and there were no questions asked.  
  
I drifted in and out of consciousness for most of the day. I was aware of times when the tremors would subside but I was too weak to stand. I must have slept sometimes and I vaguely recall humming some tune I'd picked up on an assignment somewhere. "Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd, buy me some peanuts and dah dah dah, blah blah blah if we ever get back. And it's hoot-hoot-hoot for the home team if they lose it'll really suck..."  
  
Around sunset I began to feel better. I had regained some semblance of control over my limbs and I managed to stand for the first time since I'd entered the alley. I wobbled out towards the street feeling like a child learning to walk. I tried to think of where I could go and who would help me? I could go to Joshua but he wouldn't know what to do. He was under orders to stay in his dingy little house and besides, he would tell Max. I could go to Logan, he'd probably have a better idea of how to help, but again, he'd tell Max. Most of all I didn't want to be alone and since Max was going to find out anyway, I figured I might as well go find the little bitch.  
  
Jam Pony was just around the corner and I decided with any luck she'd still be there. Thankfully there weren't many people left to stare at me. I found Max in the back getting her stuff together to go home for the night. She saw me and grimaced in her usual way, somehow managing to look down on me even though I am taller  
  
"You look terrible" she informed me "Too much drunken partying finally catch up with you?"  
  
"Oh yeah, you know, drinking, drugs, sex, seizures. They'll drag you down eventually." I muttered, trying to draw up what strength I had left.  
  
Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed my face and filthy clothes. There was no light of compassion in her eyes – not even pity. It almost seemed as if she was satisfied somehow that I had finally succumbed to the humiliation of the seizures.  
  
The look on her face made me want to smash her pretty little head into the wall but I knew I was more likely to fall flat on my face than manage to ruffle a hair on her body. "Please Max, just tell me how to make them go away, tell me how you handle this." I hated to beg. I didn't want to owe her anything else but I had no choice.  
  
She regarded me for another minute then turned to her locker and drew out a small bottle. "Tryptophan," she said, "it works most of the time but not always. You can also get it from milk and turkey but these days milk is easier to get than meat." She handed me the bottle, "You can have these, I can get more"  
  
"Thanks." I said opening the bottle right away and swallowing a handful of tablets.  
  
"So you've never had a seizure before?" Max asked slowly, as if it took tremendous effort to speak to me in a civil tone.  
  
"No" I sighed and sat down heavily on the bench beside the bank of lockers. "I'd heard about others having them at Manticore, mostly just when we were kids. I guess they'd figured out how to handle the problem by the time we were ready to go out on assignments."  
  
"That would make sense." Her eyes were distant. I figured she was replaying her childhood memories as she did so often. I never could understand how she could dwell so frequently on her past. More than anything else it seemed to rule her life. "Apparently it wasn't a permanent fix." She said.  
  
"No, I'd say it wasn't." All I wanted to do was sleep. I could barely keep my eyes open and I was shivering with the unfamiliar sensation of cold.  
  
Max finally seemed to notice the state I was in because she laid a surprisingly gentle hand on my shoulder and leaned towards me, a slight smile on her lips. "Why don't you let me take you to Logan's tonight, Alec. You can have a hot shower and I'm sure he'll let you crash on the couch."  
  
I looked up at her half in surprise and half with relief. "Thanks." Was all I could think to say as she helped me to my feet and guided me towards the door. Whether she had decided to take pity on me because she perceived that I wasn't a threat or because she actually felt sorry for me I didn't really care...as long as I didn't have to be alone. 


End file.
